In Short…
Loyola suffered its second 3-1 loss to Lewis this season on Friday night (March 15) in Lewis' Neil Carey Arena.
 
How It Happened
The home Flyers found themselves in the driver's seat early with a pair of 3-0 runs that put them in front, 9-4. Following a timeout, Loyola countered with a 4-0 run behind back-to-back Dane Leclair kills that knocked the deficit down to 9-8. A Lewis timeout paid dividends for them, as they collected five of the next six points to establish a comfortable 14-9 cushion. It didn't get any easier, as Lewis compiled 11 more kills from that point on to claim the opening set, 25-19.
 
Both teams saw themselves in the middle of a tight second frame that saw nine ties and two lead changes. With the score tied 9-9, Lewis showed the first signs of separation by claiming a 14-11 lead that forced an LUC timeout. The Flyers later extended the lead to four at 17-13, but the next play changed the complexion of the set. Paul Narup's 14^th solo block of the season sparked a 6-0 run that had three kills, two blocks and an ace. Lewis tied it up thrice between the 19 and 21 marks, but Loyola got a key block from Kyle Piekarski and Garrett Zolg, followed by a Collin Mahan kill that pushed Lewis to set-point. Moments later, Mahan delivered his 12^th kill of the match to finish the job for a 25-23 win.
 
The back-and-forth tone was set, and it carried over to the third frame with an evenly-played stanza through the first 10 points. Will Tischler's kill sparked a 4-0 run that put the visitors up 8-5, but Lewis quickly recomposed and managed to tie it back up at 9-9. Loyola controlled the tempo in the aftermath with six kills to lead up to the 20-16 mark. The Ramblers continued the good vibes with back-to-back kills from Mahan and Narup, extending the lead to 23-19. However, Lewis caught fire with a 7-1 run and stole the third set in extras, 26-24.
 
The Flyers forced the Ramblers to burn two early timeouts with leads of 5-1 and 12-5. Loyola worked the deficit to four on two separate occasions (15-11 and 16-12), but the Flyers kept their foot on the gas pedal with a 3-0 run that propelled them to a large lead of 19-12. Facing match point at 24-16, Loyola fended off elimination with a Narup kill and two more from Tischler, but the mojo ran out the next point. Tyler Mitchem's 12^th kill of the night wrapped up Lewis' four-set victory.
 
A Look at the Numbers
-Dane Leclair tallied his first career double-double, tying his career high in digs with 11 in the process.
-One more solo block from Paul Narup was his 14^th of the season to tie his single-season career high. He tallied six total to give him 295 for his career.
-With 43 assists, Garrett Zolg has tallied 40 or more in four consecutive matches – the second time this season he's done so.
-Now at 8-0 in MIVA play, Lewis moved two full matches ahead of Loyola in the standings.
 
Up Next
Loyola takes part in its annual Indiana road swing with a Thursday-Saturday slate at Ball State (March 21) and Purdue Fort Wayne (March 23). Match time against the Cardinals is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, while the Ramblers' contest against Purdue Fort Wayne is a 4 p.m. CT afternoon tilt.